By Bob Jackson
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” Acts 17:30,31
It is clear in the Word of God that God will judge sin. All sin must be judged. To allow any sin to be committed without accountability or judgment would mean that God had overlooked sin. However, God will judge all sin. We want to look at three specific methods and three specific times that God judges sin.
Judgment on Christ as Our Substitute
In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read, “For he made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” This verse declares that God the Father judged our sin as Jesus Christ became sin for us on Calvary. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered the penalty for our sin, Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3. Christ’s suffering and sacrifice on Calvary was not for Himself, because He did no sin, 1 Peter 2:22. The righteous Savior, Jesus Christ, became sin for us, in our place, and He suffered the penalty for that sin, our sin, that He had become, 2 Corinthians 5:21. He became our substitute because He had no sin of His own, I Peter 3:18; 2:24. If Jesus Christ were merely a sinner, His death could not have accomplished anything for us, because He would have been suffering for His own sin. Since He had no sin, His suffering and death could be done in place for sinful men. God’s judgment for our sins was poured out on Jesus Christ at Calvary, Matthew 27:45,46.
This suffering and death of Jesus Christ satisfied the demands of God’s judgment for our sins, 1 John 2:1,2. 1 John 2:2 tells us that Christ is the “propitiation” for our sins. This word “propitiation” means an atoning victim, the one who atones for sin. He became sin for us. His death satisfied the demands of God’s holy law for our sins. There is nothing else and there is no one else that can satisfy God’s demand for judgment on our sins, Acts 4:12; John 14:6. This is why all other religions are doomed to failure to make their adherents right with God. This is also why our own righteousnesses will never make us acceptable to God, Isaiah 64:6. Nothing else can satisfy God’s demand for the judgment on our sins. The shed blood of the perfect sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, is essential to cleanse us from our sins and to save our eternal souls, Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:22,12; 1 John 1:7. We must individually trust Jesus Christ and His shed blood to cleanse us from our sins and to save us, Titus 3:5. To trust anything other than Jesus Christ and His shed blood for our salvation is to miss out on eternal salvation, Acts 17:30; John 3:18,36.
Judgment on the Christian after Salvation
In 1 Corinthians 5:4,5,11-13, God gives instructions to the church in Corinth about dealing with a sinful member in that congregation. It is clear that the judgment to which this passage refers occurs in this life, “the destruction of the flesh...” verse 5. Now the flesh in which we now live is not eternal, and it will not be allowed in the eternal kingdom of God, 1 Corinthians 15:50. This judgment to which 1 Corinthians chapter 5 refers is talking about a judgment on a sinning church member that will be carried out in this life. Eternal judgment on the sins of every Christian has already occurred at Calvary, as God judged our Savior on Calvary’s cross, 1 Corinthians 5:21; John 5:24. Even though our sins are already eternally judged, yet every believer is still responsible before God for his life in this world, 1 Corinthians 6:19,20; 5:5; Romans 6:1,2,16. The concern of our lives after we have been born again by the Spirit of God should be that we maintain an effective testimony before others, Matthew 5:16; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15. We cannot maintain an effective testimony before others while we live under the control of the flesh and of sin.
There are various objects that God uses to carry out His judgment in the lives of sinful believers, 1 Corinthians 5:11-13. The scriptural church of which we are members is responsible before God to deal with our unconfessed sins, 1 Corinthians 5:4,5. The idea that what we do is none of the preacher’s business or none of the church’s business is obviously incorrect. Yet this is the idea that many professed believers in Christ have today. The church in Corinth was instructed to turn this sinful member over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, 1 Corinthians 5:5. Therefore, God can use Satan himself and the world as tools of His judgment. A believer who is outside the protection of a scriptural church, which is the body of Christ, is susceptible to this judgment. This is why God instructed this church in Corinth to turn this man over to Satan. He had to be removed from the membership, the protection, of this church. This judgment is temporal and physical, not eternal and spiritual. Verse 5 says this is done “for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” We, as believers, are obligated to confess and forsake our sins to avoid this type of temporal and physical judgment, 1 John 1:9; Proverbs 28:13.
Judgment on the Christless in Eternity
Revelation 20:14,15 tell us about the Great White Throne Judgment when God casts every lost sinner into the lake of fire, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Lost people may be very successful in this world, Psalm 73:3-12. They may live with no concern about God whatsoever, Psalm 73:9,11; 14:1-3. It may seem to outside observers that these lost sinners suffer no consequences for their sins in this life, Psalm 73:5,8,9. It is true that some people seem to be able to live any way they please without any seeming consequences.
However, every lost sinner will be lost forever in eternal torment, Revelation 20:14,15. These people obviously lived for the temporal with no concern for the eternal, Psalm 73:11,12,18,19. We see the contrast to that type of life in 2 Corinthians 4:18 where the Apostle Paul declares that he was living for and looking to those things, which are eternal. The lost sinner who will be cast into the lake of fire will suffer the eternal judgment of God for his sins, Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14,15. There will be no escape from the judgment of God in this eternal hell, Revelation 14:11. There is no remedy for a person once he has gone into eternity without Jesus Christ as his own personal Savior, Luke 16:22-26. No matter how much this condemned sinner wants to return and change his life and his decision regarding Jesus Christ, there is no possible way to redo that decision once he is in eternity. No one on this side of eternity can change the destination of someone who has already entered his eternal destination. Truly God will judge this person’s sins eternally in the lake of fire.
As has been said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go; sin will keep you longer than you want to stay, and sin will cost you far more than you want to pay!” Basically, the message of Acts 17:30,31 is “repent or perish!”
By C. H. Spurgeon
John Ploughman’s Talk — Plain Advice for Plain People
When a man has a particularly empty head, he generally sets up for a great judge, especially in religion. None so wise as the man who knows nothing. His ignorance is the mother of his impudence, and the nurse of his obstinacy; and though he does not know B from a bull’s foot, he settles matters as if all wisdom were at his fingers’ ends, the Pope himself is not more infallible. Hear him talk after he has been at meeting and heard a sermon, and you will know how to pull a good man to pieces if you never knew it before. He sees faults where there are none, and if there be a few things amiss, he makes every mouse into an elephant. Although you might put all his wit into an egg-shell, he weighs the sermon in the balances of his conceit with all the airs of a bred-and-born Solomon, and if it be up to his standard, he lays on his praise with a trowel; but if it be not to his taste, he growls and barks and snaps at it like a dog at a hedgehog. Wise men in this world are like trees in a hedge, there is only here and there one; and when these rare men talk together upon a discourse, it is good for the ears to hear them; but the bragging wiseacres I am speaking of are vainly puffed up by their fleshly minds, and their quibbling is as senseless as the cackle of geese on a common. Nothing comes out of a sack but what was in it, and as their bag is empty they shake nothing but wind out of it. It is very likely that neither ministers nor their sermons are perfect the best garden may have a few weeds in it, the cleanest corn may have some chaff but cavillers cavil at anything or nothing, and find fault for the sake of showing off their deep knowledge; sooner than let their tongues have a holiday, they would complain that the grass is not a nice shade of blue, and say that the sky would have looked neater if it had been whitewashed.
One tribe of these Ishmaelites is made up of highflying ignoramuses who are very mighty about the doctrine of a sermon, here they are as decisive as sledge-hammers and as certain as death. He who knows nothing is confident in everything; hence they are bullheaded beyond measure. Every clock, and even the sundial must be set according to their watches; and the slightest difference from their opinion, proves a man to be rotten at heart. Venture to argue with them, and their little pot boils over in quick style; ask them for reason, and you might as well go to a sand-pit for sugar. They have bottled up the sea of truth, and carry it in their waistcoat pockets; they have measured heaven’s line of grace, and have tied a knot in a string at the exact length of electing love; and as for the things which angels long to know, they have seen them all as boys see sights in a peepshow at our fair. Having sold their modesty and become wiser than their teachers, they ride a very high horse, and jump over all five-barred gates of Bible-texts which teach doctrines contrary to their notions. When this mischief happens to good men, it is a great pity for such sweet pots of ointment to be spoiled by flies, yet one learns to bear with them just as I do with old Violet, for he is a rare horse, though he does set his ears back and throw out his leg at times. But there is a black bragging lot about, who are all sting and no honey; all whip and no hay; all grunt and no bacon. These do nothing but rail from morning to night at all who cannot see through their spectacles. If they would but mix up a handful of good living with all their bushels of bounce, it would be more bearable ; but no, they don’t care for such legality; men so sound as they are can’t be expected to be good at anything else; they are the heavenly watch-dogs to guard the house of the Lord from those thieves and robbers who don’t preach sound doctrine, and if they do worry the sheep, or steal a rabbit or two by the sly, who would have the heart to blame them? The Lord’s dear people, as they call themselves, have enough to do to keep their doctrine sound; and if their manners are cracked, who can wonder! No man can see to everything at once.These are the moles that want catching in many of our pastures, not for their own sakes, for there is not a sweet mouthful in them, but for the sake of the meadows which they spoil. I would not find half a fault with their doctrine, if it were not for their spirit, but vinegar is sweet to it, and crabs are figs in comparison. It must be very high doctrine that is too high for me, but I must have high experience and high practice with it, or it turns my stomach. However, I have said my say, and must leave the subject, or somebody will ask me, “What have you to do with Bradshaw’s windmill?”
Sometimes it is the way the preacher speaks which is hauled over the coals, and here again is a fine field for fault hunting, for every bean has its black, and every man has his failing. I never knew a good horse which had not some odd habit or other, and I never yet saw a minister worth his salt who had not some crotchet or oddity: now, these are the bits of cheese which cavillers smell out and nibble at; this man is too slow, and another too fast, the first is too flowery, and the second is too dull. Dear one, if all God’s creatures were judged in this way, we should wring the dove’s neck for being too tame, shoot the robins for eating spiders, kill the cows for swinging their tails, and the hens for not giving us milk. When a man wants to beat a dog, he can soon find a stick; and at this rate any fool may have something to say against the best minister in England. As to a preacher’s manner, if there be but plain speaking, none should cavil at it because it wants polish, for if a thing is good and earnestly spoken, it cannot sound much amiss. No man should use bad language in the pulpit and all language is bad which common people cannot make head or tail of but godly, sober, decent, plain words, none should carp at. A countryman is as warm in fustian as a king in velvet, and a truth is as comfortable in homely words as in fine speech. As to the way of dishing up the meat, hungry men leave that to the cook, only let the meat be sweet and substantial. If hearers were better, sermons would be better. When men say they can’t hear, I recommend them to buy a horn, and remember the old saying, “There’s none so deaf as those who will not hear.” When young speakers get downhearted because of hard, unkind remarks, I generally tell them of the old man and his boy and his ass, and what came of trying to please everybody. No piper ever suited all ears. Where whims and fancies sit in the seat of judgment, a man’s opinion is only so much wind, therefore take no more notice of it than of the wind whistling through a keyhole.
I have heard men find fault with a discourse for what was not in it; no matter how well the subject in hand was brought out, there was another subject about which nothing was said, and so all was wrong; which is as reasonable as finding fault with my ploughing because it does not dibble the holes for the beans, or abusing a good corn field because there are no turnips in it. Does any man look for every truth in one sermon? As well look for every dish at one meal, and rail at a joint of beef because there are neither bacon, nor veal, nor green peas, nor parsnips on the table. Suppose a sermon is not full of comfort to the saint, yet if it warn the sinner, shall we despise it? A handsaw would be a poor tool to shave with, shall we therefore throw it away? Where is the use of always trying to hunt out faults? I hate to see a man with a fine nose smelling about for things to rail at like a rat-catcher’s dog sniffing at rat holes. By all means let us down with error, root and branch, but do let us save our billhooks till there are brambles to chop, and not fall foul of our own mercies.
Judging preachers is a poor trade, for it pays neither party concerned in it. At a ploughing match they do give a prize to the best of us; but these judges of preaching are precious slow to give anything even to those whom they profess to think so much of. They pay in praise, but give no pudding. They get the gospel for nothing, and if they do not grumble, think that they have made an abundant return.
Everybody thinks himself a judge of a sermon, but nine out of ten might as well pretend to weigh the moon. I believe that at bottom, most people think it an uncommonly easy thing to preach, and that they could do it amazingly well themselves. Every donkey thinks itself worthy to stand with the king’s horses; every girl thinks she could keep house better than her mother; but thoughts are not facts, for the sprat thought itself a herring, but the fisherman knew better. I dare say those who can whistle, fancy that they can plough; but there’s more than whistling in a good ploughman, and so let me tell you there’s more in good preaching than taking a text, and saying, firstly, secondly, and thirdly. I try my hand at preaching myself, and in my poor way I find it no very easy thing to give the folks something worth hearing; and if the fine critics, who reckon us up on their thumbs, would but try their own hands at it, they might be a little more quiet. Dogs, however, always will bark, and what is worse, some of them will bite too; but let decent people do all they can, if not to muzzle them, yet to prevent their doing any great mischief. It is a dreadful thing to see a happy family of Christians broken up by talkative fault-finders, and all about nothing, or less than nothing. Small is the edge of the wedge, but when the devil handles the beetle, churches are soon split to pieces, and men wonder why. The fact is, the worst wheel of the cart creaks most, and one fool makes many, and thus many a congregation is set at ears with a good and faithful minister, who would have been a lasting blessing to them if they had not chased away their best friend. Those who are at the bottom of the mischief have generally no part or lot in the matter of true godliness, but, like sparrows, fight over corn which is not their own, and, like jackdaws, pull to pieces what they never helped to build. From mad dogs, and grumbling professors, may we all be delivered, and may we never take the complaint from either of them.
Georgia Baptists Vote Overwhelmingly to Sever Ties to Mercer University
The Georgia Baptist Convention, by an overwhelming majority, voted November 15 to sever its 172-year-old relationship with Mercer University.
The vote was based on years of mistrust between the GBC and Mercer and was inflamed by the discovery in October of a student-led gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans-gender organization that had existed since 2002.
The group’s “coming-out day” on October 11 ... galvanized Georgia Baptists to cast a vote of no confidence in the ongoing relationship ....
Mercer [is] the second-largest Baptist-affiliated [SBC] educational institution in the world with 7,300 students ....
Fred Evers, pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Tifton .... said it was particularly troubling that supporters of the ...“Coming-Out Day” included faculty and members of Mercer’s department of Christianity ....
Evers, speaking to the motion, contended that the Georgia convention is no longer compatible with the university in either theology or purpose. He illustrated his case by referring to [Mercer President Kirby] Godsey’s 1996 book, When We Talk About God, Let’s Be Honest. He stated that the book had created a considerable amount of discontent toward Mercer among Georgia Baptists because of its deviation from biblical doctrine and theology. —BAPTIST PRESS
Tennessee Baptists Defund Belmont University
Messengers to the Tennessee Baptist Convention annual meeting cut funding for Belmont University but delayed acting on a proposed resolution defining the relationship between the two entities, further lengthening a process that began three and a half years ago and could open the door to legal action.
Belmont President Robert Fisher told messengers the matter would become a legal fight if it wasn’t settled that day.
“We are confident in the courts we will win,” Fisher said.
Messengers approved a budget that redistributed the $2.3 million originally designated for Belmont ....
... Belmont has been a TBC-affiliated entity since 1951, but university trustees in recent years have expressed the intention to allow non-Baptists to comprise up to 40 percent of their board of trustees. —BAPTIST PRESS
Editor’s Comments:
These schools are typical of the prevailing situation with Southern Baptist colleges and universities. Founded by the various state conventions of the SBC and funded out of the offering plates of Southern Baptist churches, they have, in precept, policy and practice, betrayed the folks who created them. Mercer and Belmont are just the two latest ones to be disciplined for their many years of erroneous behavior. Unfortunately, they will still get students from many Baptist families who have no clue that they are corrupted so badly.
Carson-Newman University to Honor Famous Liberal Ralph Elliott
The man whose view of biblical authority triggered an outcry among conservative Southern Baptists is being honored by Carson-Newman College as its 2005–2006 distinguished alumnus.
Ralph Elliott, now living in Rochester, New York, will receive the award next April. He is a 1949 graduate of Carson-Newman, which is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
After teaching Hebrew at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Elliott was enlisted in 1958 as one of the first faculty members of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he taught Old Testament. In his book The Message of Genesis published by Broadman Press imprint of the Baptist Sunday School Board in 1961, he denied the historicity of Adam and Eve, rejected the Genesis Flood as worldwide and asserted that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by natural causes....
... [E]ditor Rob James ... a longtime professor at the University of Richmond, stated ... “Elliott said Genesis was written by a number of different inspired writers, rather than following the traditional view that Moses wrote it” ... and Elliot held that “the first eleven chapters of Genesis were divinely intended as a symbolic account rather than as literal history.”
Millard Berquist, then-president of Midwestern Seminary, called Elliott’s manuscript “one of the finest pieces of biblical scholarship produced by Southern Baptists.” Today’s MBTS president, R. Philip Roberts, however, finds it more accurate to describe Elliott’s work as “Midwestern’s contribution to the controversy” that prompted the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message doctrinal statement ....
Ultimately, Elliott was fired for insubordination when he refused trustee demands that he not republish the work that had brought protest to both Midwestern and the Sunday School Board. He went on to pastor American Baptist churches and serve in various educational administrative positions with schools of that denomination.
Former Carson-Newman president Cordell Maddox, in an announcement circulated about Elliott’s selection as a distinguished alumnus, said he is “an outstanding graduate who has served in many important positions of leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention and American Baptist Convention.” ...
Former Midwestern Seminar trustee Roger Oldham, pastor of First Baptist Church in Martin, Tennessee, called the selection of Elliott “disappointing, but not surprising” in light of other concerns he has expressed regarding Carson-Newman College ....
...Oldham added, “The fact that they chose him says an awful lot about where they are. If they think his contributions to biblical scholarship are laudatory, then whoever the selection committee is and the approval committee among the trustees are clearly out of touch with who Southern Baptists and Tennessee Baptists are.” —BAPTIST PRESS
Editor’s Comments:
Carson-Newman University has not even remotely represented its Baptist constituents for many years. Now their commendation of Ralph Elliott, a well-known, rank liberal, seems brazen and blatant. They are, with this incident, showing themselves unworthy of even the slightest nod of approval by Tennessee Southern Baptists. Yet money from the offering plates of more than 2,200 SBC churches in Tennessee continue to pay the tab!
Kentucky Baptists Agree to Let Georgetown College Go
In a historic, relationship-altering move, Kentucky Baptist Convention messengers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new ministry partnership with Georgetown College ....
The Georgetown agreement ... came in response to Georgetown’s decision in September to establish a self-perpetuating board. A detailed “memorandum of understanding” ... [specifies] that Georgetown will begin electing its own trustees beginning in 2006 and that the KBC will phase out Georgetown’s $1.3 million Cooperative Program allocation over the next four years.
The plan also specified that 75 percent of Georgetown’s trustees will be Kentucky Baptists, that Georgetown students will remain eligible for KBC-funded scholarships and that the KBC and Georgetown will continue to jointly fund a campus minister position ....
Former KBC president Charles Barnes ... noted that Georgetown officials affirmed their desire to have an ongoing relationship with the state convention. Although “they will no longer be an institution or agency of the convention as they are today ... we want them to be part of our Baptist family ...”
Darren Gaddis, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Corbin, [said] ... “The truth is, I’m tired of the fighting. I think it’s time for us to get our heads on straight and start focusing on what’s important” —BAPTIST PRESS
Editor’s Comments:
“Tired of fighting”! When the stakes are high, it is never advisable to “be weary in well doing” (Gal. 6:9). The attitude expressed by the Kentucky Convention president that the college “will no longer be ... an agency of the Convention ... [but] ... we want them to be part of our Baptist family” is also problematic. At first glance it appears they’re dealing with an institution gone bad, but in reality they are cutting them loose to be self-governing and reaffirming kinship with them at the same time. If there’s sufficient cause to withdraw funds, should it not also be sufficient cause to disavow the institution and warn families not to send their young people there? Where are the flags of caution or warning? —The Sword of the Lord
Baylor University
Waco, TX
By E. L. Bynum
Baylor University was chartered in 1845 by Bible believing Southern Baptists. One of its notable graduates was B. H. Carroll, the founder of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary of Fort Worth, TX. Another notable graduate of Baylor was J. Frank Norris, the crusading pastor of First Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TX.
Baylor has been a school of liberal theology and thought for many years. A number of years ago when the Conservatives were becoming strong in the Southern Baptist Convention, the trustees of Baylor voted to become a self perpetuating board. No longer could the State Convention appoint any of the trustees. Since then they have founded Truett Seminary, because they thought Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was becoming too conservative. They do a disservice to George W. Truett, long time pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX. He was quite conservative in his theology, but failed to fully see the danger of modernism.
It is sad that good Bible believers found Colleges and Seminaries, but allow the modernist thieves to take over the very schools that they sacrificed so much to build.
Baylor has been teaching evolution and modernism for at least 75 years.
By Jerry Jackson
“And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.” Joshua 3:9-17
I believe that every truly born again believer desires to see great victory in his own life, as well as in the life of his church. Israel was about to experience a great time of victory, as they began the conquest of Canaan, beginning with Jericho. But, before they could achieve that victory, they had to make a first step. This is also true in our own lives and churches. Many times we are held back from the victory which God desires to give to us, because we do not take the first step to victory.
The Background
For the previous forty years, Israel had been living in the shadow of defeat. This was certainly not God’s fault, because their defeat was directly related to their own disobedience (Numbers 32:13; Joshua 5:6). Even though they tried to obey God later, it was too late. God did not bless their belated obedience, and they experienced further defeat. It is thrilling to note that while Israel had refused to obey God, God had not forsaken His people in the wilderness. He continually showered them with manna each morning, and made sure that the things they possessed did not wear out (Numbers 14:34; 32:13). What a great God we serve, that even in our disobedience, He still cares for our needs and provides beyond our understanding and worthiness!
Now things had changed. Moses was gone. It was he who had led Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea. He had cast in the tree, making the bitter water sweet. He had struck the rock, bringing forth water. He had been the go-between in the creation of the old covenant between Israel and Jehovah. Under his leadership the tabernacle had been raised, and the priesthood and sacrifices established. He had interceded on Israel’s behalf many times when God would have judged them for their sin and rebellion
There was now a new leader among God’s chosen people, Joshua, the son of Nun. Joshua had been faithful from the time of Israel’s departure from Egypt to the death of Moses. He had led Israel to victory over the Amalekites, under the direction of Moses. He had given a faithful report of the 40 days of spying in the land of Canaan, and had encouraged everyone to go forward by faith, at the peril of his own life (Numbers 14:6-10). Joshua had been Moses’ servant, but he was now the God-ordained leader of the people of God.
After 40 years of disappointment and wandering, Israel was finally preparing to enter into the promised land. They were finally ready to leave behind the defeat that they had carried about for all those years, and embrace a victory about which they hardly dared to dream.
This Step to Victory
The Command Was Needed.
Israel was commanded by God to move forward in a way that seemed impossible. The priests that carried the ark of the covenant were to walk right into the Jordan River, which was overflowing its banks during that time of year. This must have seemed strange to many, but Joshua was not looking at things with physical sight.
Note that God did not tell Joshua that the upstream waters of the Jordan would stand up in a heap (Joshua 3:8). God’s command was simply for Joshua to tell the priests to walk into the Jordan River. Joshua, however, looked back to what he had seen at the Red Sea, when the Almighty made a way through the sea, when no way was humanly possible. He then looked ahead to what the Lord was about to do, and spoke by faith about the miracle that was about to occur.
God does not always tell us what will happen when we obey His Word. He simply tells us what He expects us to do, and we must look with the eyes of faith to see what the outcome will be. Many Christians today stop on the wrong side of victory simply because they cannot see what God will do when they obey His commandments. Lord, increase our faith!
Sanctification Was Needed.
The day before Israel was to take this first step to victory, Joshua sent word throughout the camp for each Israelite to sanctify themselves (Joshua 3:5). The word “sanctify” is defined as: set apart to a holy use; to prepare for divine service; to cleanse from corruption. These Israelites were called upon to purify themselves for the service of God and to cleanse themselves from the filthiness of the flesh, just as we are today (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Sanctification is important. We don’t hear much preaching about holiness, consecration, or sanctification anymore, but it is still needed today, and God still commands holiness, consecration, and sanctification of His people. Sanctification is necessary to maintain a right relationship with God (Joshua 7:13). Sanctification is also the first thing necessary in our preparation to serve God (1 Peter 3:15).
In Israel’s situation, sanctification was necessary to accomplish the first step to victory. Had Israel refused to sanctify themselves before a holy and righteous God, they never would have made it across the Jordan. Even so, we must sanctify ourselves before God, if we would hope to see God’s victory in our lives and churches.
Obedience Was Needed.
God commanded Joshua, who, in turn, commanded the people. Feelings or reactions were not considered. Obedience was considered to be the right thing to do.
Obedience was not an option for Joshua or Israel. When God spoke, it was for them to follow. It is no different today. When God speaks, we are to follow. We cannot claim that we dislike the way in which God commands us, and therefore, we do not have to obey. We cannot claim that unless God speaks to us individually, we do not have to obey. When God spoke through His man, Israel was responsible to heed and obey. When God speaks through His preachers today, we must heed and obey. To refuse to obey is to condemn ourselves to another term in the wilderness, suffering greater defeat, and needlessly missing out on the blessing and victory of God.
Faith Was Needed.
Israel had to trust the wisdom of their new leader. They had to believe that his leadership was from the Lord. It is obvious that they did trust Joshua to give them the proper direction from God (Joshua 3:15-16).
The priests had to get their feet wet, literally. God did not open the way before them, as He had done at the Red Sea. Instead, they were required to step out by faith, without seeing what God would do until afterwards. The priests could have said something like this, “We’ve never done it this way before. Why, back in the old days, we didn’t make a move until our way was assured.” Thank God that rather than bicker, complain, and gainsay, they were willing to do something new, because God, through His man, had commanded it so.
Steadfastness Was Needed.
Thank God that these priests did not back out as soon as their feet touched the water (Joshua 3:17). They stood firm in the midst of the riverbed, believing that God would hold back the flooding Jordan River. Once they stepped out, they allowed nothing to keep them from fulfilling God’s command for them. Oh, that God would give us hearts to remain steadfast to do right, in spite of the circumstances or seeming opposition from the enemy. Without this steadfastness, this first step to victory could never have been accomplished. And we cannot expect to see victory in our lives and churches without steadfastness. We cannot begin to do right and then turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble. That will only bring us another stint in the wilderness.
The Outcome Of This Step
After they had all crossed the Jordan, Joshua commanded twelve men to each take one stone out of the riverbed. These stones were used to make a monument or memorial for the children of Israel. This memorial was to be a constant reminder of what God had begun to do in their midst, and a teaching tool for their children. Once we have made that first step to victory, we will have something to remember and share with others about what God can and will do when we just step out by faith.
One reason why many fear to take the first step to victory is that nothing will ever be the same (Joshua 5:11-12). Many of these Israelites had known nothing but the wilderness, while others would have had very vague memories of Egypt. God was providing manna for them each day, and they had no wars to fear while they stayed in the wilderness. Surely there were some that had grown comfortable in the wilderness and feared crossing the Jordan into uncertain events. However, fear of change or uncertainty should not keep us from moving forward to victory. We must simply follow God’s command and let Him care for the rest.
In spite of the fear and uncertainty that some may have felt, the future was bright for Israel. Joshua 5:1 tells us that their enemies’ hearts melted, and they had no real hope of defeating the people of God. Joshua 6:2 tells us that victory was assured to the children of Israel now that they had taken that first step to victory.
Let us consider what God will do for and through us, if we will only take that first step to victory! Going forward to victory is certainly better than remaining in the wilderness, no matter how comfortable we have become there. Let us be steadfast, believing that God will honor our obedience to His command, for we know that our labors in the Lord are not vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
By Bob Jackson
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:11-13.
Certainly God desires that we KNOW that we are saved. I John 5:13 tells us that we may KNOW that we HAVE eternal life. The word “have” is a present tense verb, meaning that we may know that we possess this eternal life right now. We do not have to wait for God’s judgment to know that, or to find out if, we have eternal life (that we are saved)! But how can we know that we have eternal life right now? Many say they know that they are saved because they “feel saved.” There is no assurance in feelings, however. Feelings, which too often are based on circumstances, change; therefore they are not stable enough on which to base the knowledge of our salvation. Surely there is a better way to know we are saved than just to go by our feelings. As we consider our text passage in 1 John 5, it should be clear that God has given us a far better way to know that we are saved eternally right now.
The Presence of the Holy Spirit
1 John 5:12 says, “He that hath the Son hath life . . .” He that has the Son of God has this eternal life to which this passage refers. How can we have the Son of God? God moves into our lives the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, vs. 11,12. In order to receive Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior, we must recognize our own sinfulness and unworthiness before God, Romans 3:10-12,23; Ecclesiastes 7:20. We must realize that Jesus Christ became our substitute to pay the full price for our sins, Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24. We can, therefore, receive Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior by believing on Him with all our heart as we turn to Him from our sins and from belief in anything else (repentance), Acts 20:21; 3:19; Romans 10:9,10. Receiving Jesus Christ internally (not by some external means) as our personal Savior means that we now have Him (the Son of God) in our lives. The Bible teaches us that God comes into our lives in the person of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Divine Trinity, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” I John 4:13. Romans 8:9 makes it clear that if the Holy Spirit does not live within us, we are not truly saved. The indwelling Holy Spirit testifies within our spirit that we belong to God, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God:” Romans 8:15,16. The Holy Spirit testifies to our spirit through His leadership in our lives. His leadership is never contrary to the Word of God, Romans 8:14; Psalm 119:105. His direction in our lives according to the Word of God is His testimony in our lives, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; . . .” I John 5:10a. The Holy Spirit testifies within our spirit through His teaching us the Word of God in our hearts (illumination, not revelation), I John 2:20,27; John 14:26.
The Pattern of Our Lifestyle
The second way that God uses to give us assurance of our salvation is through the new lifestyle that enters our life when we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, 2 Corinthians 5:17. A change occurs in the life of a person who is genuinely saved. This life that we receive from God through the new birth causes a change in our lives, Ephesians 2:1-3. Before our salvation, we lived in and for the lust of the flesh. However, life from above comes into our hearts and changes us from the inside out when we truly receive Jesus Christ and are saved, Ephesians 2:4-6; Philippians 2:12. Life now has a new and different meaning because we are on our way to glory with our Savior, Matthew 7:13,14; Colossians 1:27. It is not that we become sinless and perfect when we get saved, but we are different, have been changed, because we are saved, Philippians 3:12-14. Our sins are washed away in the blood of Christ, and we stand sinless in the sight of God through our Savior, Revelation 1:5; Romans 3:24-28. Our Savior declares us to be righteous, even though we are not righteous in ourselves, Romans 4:2-8; 10:1-4. God’s salvation even produces a change in the lives of those who were raised in church. When this type of person gets saved, he no longer is just going to church, etc. through habit, or routine, or just going through the motions, Matthew 15:7-9. If the newly saved person is a child still living at home, he no longer attends church and serves God because his parents make him do so. Just like the person who is saved from outside of the church, this newly saved person receives new life, and the things of God are now real to him, Ephesians 2:1,8-10.
The Problem of Our Hopeful Sentiment
People pin their hopes of salvation, their so-called assurance of salvation, on many things that are not the genuine basis for assurance, Matthew 7:21-23. There is the problem of people pinning their assurance of salvation on religious ceremony, Matthew 7:21. There is assurance based on prayer, “I prayed the prayer.” “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. It is clear from this passage of Scripture that just calling on the Lord, or calling Jesus Christ our Lord does not in itself save us. Refer to Romans 10:9-13 for more information on this statement. Probably the most used religious ceremony upon which people base their assurance of salvation is baptism, Mark 16:16. From Mark 16:16 it seems clear that without believing, baptism is basically worthless. True, scriptural baptism follows genuinely receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts as our own Savior, Acts 2:41; 8:36-38. Scriptural baptism is done for the purpose of testifying that we have already been saved, not so that we can be saved, Romans 6:3-5; Acts 8:37. Scriptural baptism also places the person baptized into the membership of the church that is authorizing the baptism, Acts 2:41. Another religious connection that is sometimes used by people for their assurance of salvation is church membership itself. Surely church membership is important, and it is expected by our Savior for those who are already saved, Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:41. A person who is not genuinely saved is really not a true church member, no matter what the church records indicate. It is a foolish mistake to think that joining a church, any church, even a good scriptural church, can make us a true Christian, Ephesians 3:21; Acts 19:1-5.
Another place where people mistakenly pin their hopes of assurance is on their own righteousness, Titus 3:5. Our own goodness and/or our own righteousness will never save us, nor make us a Christian, Ephesians 2:8,9; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 10:1-3. Our only claim of righteousness before God is in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, Romans 10:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21.
According to our text, we can know that we have eternal life because Jesus Christ lives within us. When Jesus Christ comes into our lives, there will be a change that takes place. We may have an effect on how much change occurs by how much we yield to the Lord, but God cannot be present in our lives without causing change. These are Bible answers as to how we can know that we are saved. Now the question that we must consider and answer is, “Am I saved?”
Upcoming on the Liberal Agenda
You may have noticed that virtually every proposed state and federal constitutional amendment to preserve traditional marriage contains language that declares marriage to be a legal relationship between one man and one woman. The reason it is necessary to use those specific words is to guard against the all too predictable liberal push for polygamy and polyamorist rights that is now clearly on the horizon.
Most of us know that polygamy has historically been allowing a man to have more than one wife. Polyamorists are persons who maintain more than one kind of sexual relationship. These aberrant relationships can be heterosexual, homosexual, or several of each.
The American Family Association reports that polyamorists now “are coming out of the closet” just like homosexuals had done. Local polyamorist organizations have been formed in New York, Phoenix, and Atlanta. The New York group has a Poly Pride Day each year in Central Park.
This is all the more reason that marriage amendments should be adopted in state constitutions and in the U.S. Constitution. —Faith & Freedom Report
1644 — Persecuted for Truth
We only know him as Mr. Painter. We do not even know his first name! His legacy is a poor man, was suddenly turned Anabaptist, and having a child born, would not suffer his wife to carry it to be baptized.
Mr. Painter lived in Hingham near Boston, and was taken before the magistrates in 1644 because he refused to allow the state Church to sprinkle his child. Because there is no Bible or logical proof for such a religious belief as baptizing infants, the only thing the authorities could do was pass and enforce an unjust law. They had no arguments but force. Gov. Winthrop said “He was whipped for denying the Lord’s Ordinance.” The sad truth is the Lord NEVER had such an ordinance.
You do not have to be a preacher to stand for Christ, as many of the Baptists of the past have proven. The proof of Biblical conviction is seen in the living of God’s people. The unreasonable demands of a secular religion, such as practiced in infant baptism, have no scriptural warrant. Throughout history Baptists have stood on the scriptures in spite of the unreasonable demands of the religions and governments of men.
We may not know Mr. Painter’s first name, and history may ignore him, but God knows his name. We today should be thankful for the thousands of Mr. Painter’s who chose to stand for truth at great personal expense. They bought our liberty and paved the way for us today. Can we do anything less than stand ourselves?
It is sad that our country started with such severe persecution of Christians. This fact is denied in history books and ignored in present life, but we should be reminded of 2 Tim. 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. —Doug Hammett, Written for Church Bulletin.
The Faith of Abraham Lincoln, in His Own Words
I believe in God, the almighty Ruler of nations, our great and good and merciful Maker, our Father in Heaven who notes the fall of a sparrow and numbers the hairs of our heads.
I believe in His eternal truth and justice.
I recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proved by all history that those nations only are blest whose God is the Lord.
I believe that it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to invoke the influence of His Holy Spirit; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon.
I believe that it is meet and right to recognize and confess the presence of the almighty Father equally in our triumphs and in those sorrows which we may justly fear are the punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins to the needful end of our reformation.
I believe that the Bible is the best gift which God has ever given to men. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this Book.
I believe the will of God prevails. Without Him, all human reliance is vain. Without the assistance of that divine Being, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail.
Being a humble instrument in the hands of our Heavenly Father, I desire that all my words and acts may be according to His will; and that it may be so, I give thanks to the Almighty and seek His aid.
I have a solemn oath registered in Heaven to finish the work I am in, in full view of my responsibility to God, with malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives me to see the right. Commending those who love me to His care, as I hope in their prayers they will commend me, I look through the help of God to a joyous meeting with many loved ones gone before. —William E. Barton in The Soul of Abraham Lincoln
Editor’s Comments:
Lincoln said, “I was not a Christian until I went to Gettysburg” (from a book published in 1883, now in the Johnston House where Lincoln died in Washington, D.C.). It was the trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 18–19, 1863, to which he referred. There he participated in the dedication of the cemetery and made his now famous Gettysburg Address.
As to what happened to him while he was there, we have no details except this statement. We do know that he had an appointment for Easter Sunday, April 17,1865 (a year and a half later), to be baptized (probably not immersion) at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately he went to the Ford’s Theatre on the Thursday night prior and was gunned down by an assassin. —Sword of the Lord
Do you remember the fiasco in San Francisco at the Hamilton Square Baptist Church when ex-homosexuals were speaking about the grace of God in delivering them from such a wicked lifestyle (God calls it “abomination”), and the perverts staged a protest rally in front of the church? They not only blocked the entrance so no one could get in or out, but the police helped them and refused to do anything to help the folks inside the church.
Well, it happened again, this time at the other end of the country in the only State of the Union legalizing Sodomite marriages, Massachusetts. Focus on the Family was holding a conference in Boston at the historic Tremont Temple Baptist Church featuring ex-Sodomites, giving their testimony about the grace of God in their deliverance (it was called, “Love Won Out”). Once again a “mob” (there is no other way to describe them) gathered outside the building, “terrorizing” the Christians, yelling, chanting, screaming, waving signs and blocking the church entrance. (An anti-war rally was being held a few blocks away led by Cindy Sheehan and participants from it joined the Sodomites.) The protestors had a sound truck and were using it to full advantage. As it turned out, they did not have a permit for either the rally or the sound truck — both violations of the law. Yet they were there from the time the conference opened in the morning until it closed that night. The demonstration totally blocked off the street. Two coffins were set up in front of the church, one saying “Homophobia is deadly.”
What about the police? They were there too and, as in San Francisco, took the side of the Sodomites. In fact, the police blocked the church entrance/exit and did not permit anyone to enter or leave the conference. When a lady participant at the conference asked why she couldn’t leave, the response from the female officer was merely, “Because I said so.” The police protection was only for the Sodomites. No one was arrested; no one even received a warning ticket!
One person attending the conference said, “The anger, rage and hatred were indescribable.” If you would like a biblical picture of the scene, try the Sodomites outside the home of Lot, yelling, screaming, trying to break in and harm those inside.
Our conclusion: Sodomites have rights in America; Christians do not! —The Biblical Evangelist
Edited by E. L. Bynum
(Editor’s Note: In our News & Views column we quote from many different sources. Please understand that this does not necessarily mean that we approve of all of the publications from which we quote.)
Adam Could Fly? — The Bible tells us to beware of teachers with itching ears. Benny Hinn is one such person. TheBereanCall.org (12/05) quotes Benny Hinn as saying: “Adam was a super-being when God created him. I don’t know whether people know this, but he was the first superman that really ever lived. First of all, the Scriptures declare clearly that he had dominion over the fowls of the air, the fish of the sea—which means he used to fly. Of course, how can he have dominion over the birds and not be able to do what they do?” —The Voice in the Wilderness
Good As New — There is a new Bible translation out called the “Good As New Bible.” This translation describes itself as “women, gay, and sinner friendly.” Paul commands us that it is better to marry than to burn in lust. The Good As New translates this as, “If you know you have strong needs, get yourself a partner. Better than being frustrated.” This “Bible” leaves out the Pastoral Epistles and the Book of Revelation but includes the Gospel of Thomas (of The Da Vinci Code fame). Another translation, The Inclusive Bible, shies away from gender specific words for God, Christ, and Adam and replaces “husband” and “wife” with the word partner. It also replaces the words “demon possession” with “mental illness” and “salvation” with “completeness.” —World, 11/12/05;
No Jury Needed — “In a stunning reversal for abortion providers, a New Jersey Appellate Court has issued a unanimous opinion that the factual contention that a first trimester abortion terminates the life of a human being is a question to be decided by a jury.” (LifeSiteNews, 4/7/06) This NJ Court could save the taxpayers a good sum if they would read the Bible, and believe it.. “And she conceived” is recorded several times in the Word of God and the result is always the same: “and she bare” a son or daughter. There is a word also to those who cause a woman’s fruit (child) to depart from her. (Exo. 21:22) —W. W. Mosley
New Bill on Hill — Liberal lawmakers are trying to push a new(?) law onto society. The Prevention First Act would bar “group health plans from excluding contraceptives” and would “require hospitals receiving federal money to give contraceptives” to certain assault victims. (United Press Int., 4/6/06) Much of this likely results from the recent Supreme Court appointees, who are considered by liberals as too conservative. New laws concerning such matters are not needed. What is needed is for the old law to be re-read (Exo. 20:14; Matt. 5:27,28; 19:18; Rom. 13:9). This would also take care of the majority of abortions. —WWM
Another Comment on the Da Vinci Code — Already, the popularity of The Da Vinci Code has caused great consternation among orthodox Christians. Though it is fiction, Dan Brown not only challenges the trustworthiness of the Scripture and implicates the Roman Catholic Church in the biggest cover-up of all time, but so effectively blurs the line between historical fact and fiction that some readers are sure to come away confused. —Crosswalk, 4/10/06